Berlinale: armpit hair at Rapunzel length: “Teaches of Peaches”

Is that music? Performance art? And what kind of texts are these anyway? When Peaches, real name Merrill Beth Nisker, sang about sexual desire, contraceptives and her bra size over 20 years ago, she exposed some of the unwritten rules of the cis and male-dominated pop mainstream. The documentary “Teaches of Peaches,” named after the Canadian electroclash musician’s second studio album, reconstructs her career and accompanies the preparations for her “The Teaches of Peaches Anniversary Tour” in 2022.

Judy Landkammer, who directed with Philipp Fussenegger, had over 8,000 hours of video material from Peaches’ private archive at her disposal. For example, about Nisker’s appearance in a childcare center in the mid-90s or her first gigs as a folk musician. When Nisker recovered from cancer in 2000, she decided to focus entirely on music. In the film, the musician Leslie Feist remembers their performances together, their shared life among cockroaches and performative video projects. The musician Chilly Gonzales thinks back to their artistic bubble during the time of their band “The Shit”.

Landkammer artfully interweaves yesterday with today, the archive recordings with the preparations for the anniversary tour. Always there for the latter: Peaches’ supporting partner, technical director and creative advisor Ellison Glenn aka Black Cracker. He is an MC and songwriter himself. Sometimes Peaches brings her partner on stage to make out with him. Cracker is neither a fanboy nor a public figure, he would rather have Peaches quietly to himself. During an interview at home with cats in the background, he admits how he too was deceived by their image and songs like “Fuck the Pain Away”: “I thought we were having sex all the time.” And yet he looks like one shy schoolboy.

Peaches wrote the smash hit “Fuck the Pain Away” over 20 years ago. In a recent interview, she explains how it practically came about by itself while she was on a plane. In the summer of 1999, she tested the song as a support act in Toronto. The sound engineer recorded everything and sold her the tape for five dollars, the song then ended up on Peaches’ demo tape and the Berlin independent label Kitty-Yo gave her a record deal.

»Teaches of Peaches« tells a lot about the music business. For example, the homophobia that is also noticeable there: When Peaches wanted not only women but also men to make out with each other in a music video in order to revolt against rap videos in which only the women presented themselves in a sexy way, the directors refused her Wish. A week later, Christina Aguilera’s music video “You are Beautiful” was released in 2002, in which two men kissed. Opportunity missed, says Nisker’s comment.

Peaches continued, putting the microphone into her hot pants on the legendary British music show “Top of the Pops.” The young audience had little use for it at the time. The performance flopped. According to “Garbage” frontwoman Shirley Manson, Peaches was “far too powerful and far too sexual” for the time. When Peaches grew her armpit hair to Rapunzel length in the video clip for “Set it Off,” Sony wanted the money back for the production. For 18 months, her “Teaches of Peaches” album was no longer available due to a ban from Sony. The young musician continued with a “fuck you” attitude.

“Teaches of Peaches” makes it clear how naturally Peaches fought for sexual equality at the time. The fact that she once gave Viva an interview from the bathtub was probably out of a desire. When Peaches sings “Diddle my Skittle,” she has the image of a vagina-shaped candy in her head; at her concerts she wears a “Thank god for abortion” bodysuit. Thank God that abortion exists! In the film, the woman in her mid-fifties reacts angrily to the question of whether abortion is a political or a personal issue for her. You don’t understand the question.

At concerts, Peaches quickly transforms from a grandma with a fake walker and a vagina hat into a powerful woman who, like everyone else on stage, celebrates her body and her sexuality. A Peaches concert is like a cult, like a religion, is how Black Cracker describes the shows. When Peaches announces that she will walk on the hands of her audience, it has tremendous power. Jesus lets himself be carried by water – and Peaches by people.

»Teaches of Peaches«: Germany 2024. Director: Philipp Fussenegger and Judy Landkammer. Starring: Peaches, Black Cracker, Leslie Feist, Chilly Gonzales, Shirley Manson, Charlie Le Mindu. 102 minutes. Next and last date: February 23rd, 12:15 p.m., Verti Music Hall.